nrru 


DIIObOflSTl 


No.    87. 

THE  DAY  OF  TRIAL. 


It  is  said  of  an  illustrious  queen  of  England,  that, 
when  dying,  her  agonizing  language  was,  Millions  of 
worlds  —  millions  of  worlds  for  another  day  of  probation  ! 
She  felt  that  she  could  not  " stand  in  the  judgment." 
And  can  any  impenitent  sinner  stand  in  that  day  of 
trial? 

All  the  testimony  will  be  against  him.  His  com- 
panions hi  sin  will  testify  against  him.  Sinners,  in  this 
world,  encourage  one  another  in  transgression;  and  if  one 
is  arrested,  his  associates  may  swear  falsely  to  save  him. 
But  at  the  tribunal  of  God,  every  mouth  that  would  jus- 
tify sin  will  be  stopped.  The  false  swearer,  the  liar,  will 
feel  it  utterly  impossible  to  evade  Omniscience.  Thus, 
every  sinner  will  be  constrained  to  bear  witness  to  the 
truth,  even  though  it  expose  his  nearest  companions  to 
"  shame  and  everlasting  contempt." 

The  examples  of  the  righteous  will  also  testify  against 
him.  He  will  not  be  able  to  plead  that  lie  could  not 
help  continuing  in  sin;  that  he  was  urged  on  by  a  fatal 
necessity;  for  he  will  see  that  others  who  were  once  of 
like  dispositions  have  repented,  and  have  broken  off 
their  iniquities  by  turning  to  the  Lord. 

His  own  awakened  conscience  and  memory  will  testify 
against  him.  Conscience  may  now  slumber.  The  sin- 
ner may  impiously  say,  "  Where  is  the  promise  of  his 
coming?  What  profit  shall  we  have  if  we  pray  unto 
him  ?"  But  very  different  will  be  his  reflections  on 
another  day.      When   the  slumbers  of  death  are  broken, 


2  THE    DAY    OF    TRIAL. 

and  the  terrors  of  judgment  burst  upon  the  view,  then, 
too,  will  the  slumbers  of  conscience  be  broken,  and 
heart-rending  convictions  fill  the  mind.  Conscience 
will  then  testify  how  you  here  stifled  conviction,  re- 
sisted the  truth,  grieved  the  Holy  Spirit.  Memory,  too, 
will  on  that  day  "be  amazingly  quickened.  All  the 
privileges  you  have  abused,  and  all  the  millions  of  your 
now  forgotten  sins,  of  thought,  word,  and  deed,  will 
come  up  in  terrible  array  before  you.  O,  what  an  im- 
mense dark,  thick  cloud,  to  break  at  once  in  thunder  on 
the  conscience!  And  will  not  conscience  thus  be  roused 
to  fury,  and  declare  you  verily  guilty  ?     But  more — 

The  sufferings  of  Christ  will  testify  against  the  sinner 
at  the  judgment.  That  same  Jesus  who  hung  on  the 
cro>s,  will  then  fill  the  throne.  But  O,  how  changed  ! 
His  countenance,  once  marred,  now  glorious  as  ten  thou- 
sand suns  shining  in  their  strength.  His  very  appear- 
ance will  say  with  emphasis,  These  arms  were  once 
extended  for  your  salvation  ;  for  sinners  like  you,  this 
head  was  crowned  with  thorns — this  body  and  soul  bore 
the  tremendous  weight  of  a  world's  redemption.  And 
this  exhibition  wi'l  furnish  overwhelming  proof  of  the 
ingratitude  and  guilt  of  him  whom  such  love  could  not 
melt. 

All  the  instructions  of  Christ  will  also  testify  against 
him.  "  He  that  rejecteth  me,  and  receiveth  not  my 
words,  hath  one  that  judgeth  him  ;  the  word  that  I  have 
spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day.'1  Yes, 
these  glorious  truths  of  the  Saviour  will  be  as  noonday 
splendors,  to  render  his  ingratitude  the  more  manifest, 
his  perseverance  in  sin  perfectly  inexcusable,  and  his 
damnation  just. 

But  cannot  the  law  be  set  aside,  and  the  sinner  thus 
escape  ?  "God  is  the  Judge,"  and  he  cannot  set  aside 
His  own   law.     And   when  lie  shall  exhibit  its  infinite 


THE    DAY    OF    TRIAL.  9 

purity  in  contrast  with  the  sinner's  vileness,  then  the 
poor  wretch,  if  he  have  no  Saviour  to  plead  for  him, 
must  feel  that  he  is  indeed  undone  for  ever.     But — 

He  will  have  no  Advocate.  At  a  human  tribunal, 
when  the  culprit  is  arraigned,  though  all  the  witnesses 
be  against  him,  and  the  judge  inflexibly  just,  still  he 
cherishes  hope  from  the  ingenuity  and  eloquence  of  his 
advocate.  But  for  the  sinner  at  Jehovah's  bar,  no  advo- 
cate will  be  found.  Not  one  of  his  boldest  companions 
will  venture  a  syllable  in  his  defence  ;  not  one  of  those 
foul  spirits  of  darkness  who  beguiled  him  with  lies,  will 
now  care  for  his  safety;  not  one  of  the  bright  and  gen- 
erous millions  of  angels  will  attempt  to  palliate  his 
guilt;  and  having  rejected  the  Saviour,  he  can  have  no 
part  in  his  mercy.  Thus,  he  must  bear  his  own  burden. 
He  must  meet  the  condemning  witnesses,  the  violated 
law,  and  the  eternal  Judge,  without  any  advocate. 
And— 

All  the  jurors  will  be  perfectly  holy.  "Know  ye 
not  that  the  saints  shall  judge  the  world  V*  Yes,  these 
happy  spirits,  themselves  "washed  and  made  white  in 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb,"  will  then  look  bn  the  wicked 
who  have  despised  his  mercy,  just  as  they  appear  "  in 
the  light  of  God's  countenance,"  amid  the  splendors  of 
the  "  great  white  throne;"  and  in  such  circumstances 
they  cannot  but  acquiesce  in  the  sanctions  of  the  holy 
law.  Their  part  will  then  be,  with  Christ,  to  judge 
and  condemn  ;  and  not,  as  now,  to  entreat  .and  suffer 
wrong.  Men  of  piety  and  moral  worth  are  sometimes 
most  cruelly  treated  in  this  world.  Wealth  and  intrigue 
may  here  succeed  in  a  bad  cause  —  "but  't  is  not  so 
above." 

O,  sinner,  when  every  witness  shall  be  against  you, 
and  your  Judge  inflexibly  just ;  when  no  kind  advocate 
shall  appear  for  you,  and  all  the  jurors  shall  be  perfectly 


4  THE    DAY    Or    TRIAL. 

boly  —  can  thy  heart  endure  or  thy  hands  be  strong? 
Ah,  no.  Every  angel  would  say,  No;  this  controversy 
is  with  Omnipotence,  and  no  sinner  "shall  be  able  to 
stand,"  when  "  the  great  day  of  his  wrath  is  come." 

"Agree,  then,  with  thine  adversary  quickly,  while 
thou  art  in  the  way  with  him."  Fly  to  the  Saviour. 
Accept  his  offered  mediation.  It  is  inexpressible  mad- 
ness as  well  as  guilt,  to  remain  unreconciled  to  God, 
and  approach  the  judgment  without  an  advocate,  with- 
out one  favoring  witness,  with  no  friend  on  the  throne, 
nor  one  pitying  saint  or  angel  among  all  the  assembled 
millions.  * 

"The  ungodly  shall  not  stand. "  And  recollect,  from 
that  fall  there  is  no  recovery.  It  settles  your  character 
and  destiny  for  ever.  And  O,  eternity,  eternity,  eternity ! 
Who  that  has  now  the  offer  of  peace,  would  have  the 
Holy  One  his  eternal  enemy?  Think,  O,  my  soul,  what 
it  is  to  be  condemned  by  the  infinite  Redeemer  and 
Judge,  and  lie  for  ever  under  the  "  power  of  his  anger  !" 
Think  of  the  amount  of  misery  to  be  endured  by  a  soul 
increasing  forever  in  guilt  and  remorse  !  Think  of  the 
extent  of  eternity  !  Send  an  angel  forward  on  the 
awful  deep,  with  lightning's  speed,  for  millions  of  cen- 
turies, and  the  dread  waves  of  perdition  are  still  rolling 
eternally  beyond  ! 

Dying  man,  what  are  your  prospects?  "Judge  your- 
self now,  that  you  may  not  be  condemned  with  the 
world."  "The  prudent  man  foreseeth  the  evil,  and 
hideth  himself."  "  If  thou  be  wise,  thou  shalt  be  wise 
for  thyself;  but  if  thou  scornest,  thou  alone  must  bear 
it." 


PUBLISHED    BY  THE    SOUTH    CAROLINA    TRACT    SOCIETY 


Printed  by  Evans  &  Cogswell,  No.  3  Broad  street,  Charleston,  S.  C. 


Hollinger  Corp. 
PH8.5 


